The present invention relates to card games. Specifically the present invention is a wagering card game played with an abridged deck of cards in which the object of the game is to form a final hand closer to ten than a dealer""s hand without exceeding ten by receiving additional cards or standing on the initial hand.
Blackjack is a well known casino card game. The object of Blackjack is to obtain a final hand total as close to twenty-one as possible without exceeding twenty-one. For purposes of calculating a hand total, each card has a value equal to the value shown on its face except face cards, which have a designated value of ten, and Aces, which may have a value of eleven or one as the player selects.
In Blackjack, each player places a wager. A dealer deals two cards to each player and to himself. The dealer""s cards are dealt with one card face up and the other face down. All players receiving a natural twenty-one or Blackjack, i.e. a total of twenty-one in the initial dealt hand, are immediately rewarded and their cards collected. Typically, Blackjacks are rewarded at a rate of 2:1 or 3:2.
Each remaining player may opt to hit, i.e. receive one or more additional cards, or stand, i.e. stand on the player""s current hand, with the object being to obtain a hand total closer to twenty-one than the dealer""s hand total. If the player hits and receives a card that causes his hand total to exceed twenty-one, the player busts and the player""s wager is immediately collected and play is terminated as to that player.
A player may also have additional options available depending on the initial hand dealt. If the player receives a pair, i.e. two cards having the same face value, the player may double his wager and split the pair, using each card of the pair as a base for a separate hand. For example, if a player were to be dealt a pair of eights, the player may split the pair by doubling his wager and playing with two hands each having an eight and an additional dealt card.
A player may also have the option to double down. Although the availability of the double down option varies from casino to casino, doubling down allows a player to an double the player""s wager in exchange for a single additional card. Frequently, the double down option is only available to players having an initial hand total of ten or eleven.
After all the players have formed a final hand or busted, the dealer reveals the dealer""s hand and forms a final dealer hand by hitting or standing as the house rules dictate. House rules typically require the dealer to hit on any hand total less than sixteen. The dealer resolves wagers by rewarding, typically at even money, all players with a final hand total closer to twenty-one than the dealer""s final hand total. Conversely, wagers are collected from players with a final hand total further from twenty-one than the dealer""s final hand total. If the dealer busts, i.e. has a final hand total exceeding twenty-one, all players who did not bust or receive a Blackjack are rewarded, again, typically at even money. If the player and dealer push, i.e. have the same final hand total, the player""s wager is returned.
Blackjack has its drawbacks, however. One known drawback is the complicated rules for increasing a player""s wager. For example, Blackjack includes many complex rules regarding splitting cards or doubling down. Another drawback is that in a fast paced casino game, the player must sum the cards of his or her hand quickly to avoid interfering with the flow of play.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a new game which is simpler to play than conventional Blackjack, yet provides a similar objective of forming a final hand closer to a target value than the dealer""s hand.
A method of playing a casino game between a dealer and at least one player begins by providing a deck of cards. The deck consists of at least one deck of forty cards consisting essentially of the cards Ace through ten for each of four suits.
The game begins with each player placing a base wager and the dealer dealing one card to each player and one card to the dealer. Each player, in turn, forms a final hand by opting to receive additional cards or standing on the single card initially dealt. The values of the cards in the player""s final hand are summed. In summing the cards, the Ace is designated as having a value of zero or one and the other cards have the value shown on the face of the card. The player""s objective in forming his final hand is to obtain a sum closer to ten than the dealer""s sum without exceeding ten. If the player exceeds ten, the player automatically loses and his base wager is collected. If the player forms a final hand consisting essentially of only two Aces, the player wins and is rewarded based on the player""s base wager. Optionally, a final hand of two Aces may be declared an automatic win or, in an alternate embodiment, a win unless the dealer also has two Aces in which case a push is declared. In an optional embodiment, the player may be rewarded at greater than even money for an hand of two Aces.
In an optional embodiment, if the player""s first dealt card is an Ace, the player may have the option of increasing his or her base wager in exchange for a single additional card. The player is immediately rewarded based on the increased base wager if the single additional card dealt to the player is an Ace. Otherwise, the increased base wager is resolved as described below.
After each player forms a final hand, the dealer forms a final dealer hand. In forming the final dealer hand, the dealer optionally plays according to a predetermined set of house rules. For example, in an optional embodiment, the dealer receives additional cards until his total is greater than or equal to six.
Once the dealer has formed a final dealer hand, the dealer sums the values of the cards in the dealer""s final hand and compares his final hand with each player""s final hand. The hand having a sum closer to ten, without exceeding ten, is the winning hand. In the event that the player and dealer have identical sums, a push is declared and the wager is neither collected nor rewarded.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a game that is directed at obtaining a target value and is easy to learn and play.